York teacher selected for national program

YORK — Village Elementary School teacher Beth McKenna was selected as one of 96 teachers nationwide to participate in the NEA Master Teacher Project.

Lauren Mifsud

YORK — Village Elementary School teacher Beth McKenna was selected as one of 96 teachers nationwide to participate in the NEA Master Teacher Project.

The program, funded with the help from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to compile Common Core lesson plans from teachers around the country into a comprehensive and free tool for other educators.

Teachers selected for the Master Teacher Project will provide more than 14,000 Common Core-aligned lesson plans from the best K-5 math teachers and K-12 English teachers in the country.

McKenna said she believes more teachers from York could be participating as well.

"I know that everyone in my building could be doing the same thing. They have wonderful lessons and techniques worth sharing. I am sure that if more people from York had applied, they, too, would be a part of this project," she said.

McKenna, a second grade math teacher, has more than 30 years of experience.

"I have always loved teaching, and for me the challenge is to find the strengths and interests of every child and to try to work with those strengths to encourage a love of learning in every child," McKenna said. "I never teach the same way two years in a row, because even if the lessons are the same, the needs and interests of the students are different and I need to be ready to adapt to those."

Through the Master Teacher Project, McKenna will share some of the "hows" and "whys" behind her lesson plans, but hopes other teachers don't take them at face value.

"I want teachers to individualize the lessons for their students. I am also sharing the importance of hands on, concrete activities to support the students' learning," she said.

The 96 teachers selected for the Master Teacher Project this year come from 27 different states, and include Fulbright Award winners among other honors.

McKenna said the goal of the project is what initially interested her to apply for consideration.

"It was an intriguing idea to really look at how our curriculum aligns with the Common Core Standards and to take the time to reflect on the lessons each day," she said.

And while she did say that participating in the project is a big time commitment, she has a plan for fitting it in to her daily schedule.

"I need to sit down at the end of each day and think about how the lesson went, what I might do differently next time, and where I need to go next in order to maximize the learning experience," she said.

The lesson plans and advice compiled from McKenna and other Master Teacher Project participants will be shared on BetterLesson.com and available to teachers nationwide.

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